14781/Celebrity Interview: Felicia Hardy

Celebrity Interview: Felicia Hardy
Date of Scene:	11 March 2023
Location:	Felicia's New York Penthouse
Synopsis:	Clark Kent interviews Felicia Hardy, finds her as testy as a Cat
Cast of Characters:	Black Cat, Superman

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Black Cat has posed:
     Felicia Hardy's 'dayjob'/cover identity is as the head of a nationally renowned Security Consultant and Detective Firm. Like the Pinkertons of yore, they bill themselves as a full service solution providing secure transportation, vault/storage solutions, investigative services, security systems, and protective details - in short whatever their clients need to feel safe in the world. While they're nowhere near the size of something like a Stark Industries or even Sable Security, they do very well from their headquarters in New York City.
     Felicia herself of course, is famously young, beautiful, and stacked, with platinum hair and a Bruce Wayne/Tony Stark sort of 'bad girl, I'm rich and do what I want' self-entitlement in her public persona. Right now she's sipping some pour-over coffee while looking out the window of her skyscraper pent-house, waiting for the reporter to arrive when the door man buzzes. She reaches out to press an intercom button, "Sure let him up, thank you!"

Superman has posed:
Clark is in New York ona special assignment. Stepping out of his uber, "Right. There's your five stars," Clark says with phone in one hand. The free one pushes up his glasses with a middle finger. "Well," Clark says to no one in particular and starts to walk forward. Dressed in blue suit, the standard blue color of paints that tends to stray on the darker side, a pair of warm tan colored shoes, a button up white shirt, a dull red tie with various etching across, and black rimmed glasses that do nothing to highlight those dull drab blue eyes.

Standing outside of the headquarters for Cat's Eye Securities, "Well, here goes nothing," the man walks with a little bit of a slouch. There's clearly some confidence issues, but Clark Kent's reputation does proceed him. And Lois Lane didn't want the story.

Standing outside the door, he imagines Lois throwing muffins at Jimmy. She tends to do that. However, wiht that many pulitizers, as long as all Lois did was yell and throw muffins, the Planet wouldn't get on her. Or so Clark suspects.

Walking into the place, Clark will go through all of the security precautions. All of it standard. Someone's in a rush as he is moving slowly. He bumps into the person in a hero. "Sorry!" it's not enough for the man to suspect anything. However, Clark heard the man's heart. It's rapidly beating and not just because of the running. "Sorry," Clark apologizes and the writer's pad goes flying. This is just to calm the guard down.

Clark gets up and even tries to help the guard up. Although, Clark will struggle and stammer to do it. He eventually grabs his pad of paper, the guard looks offended, but the heart rate is down. Security need to be level before going onto a job.

Clark Kent gets into the nearest elevator or lift. Between the lights, and sounds, of the device, Felicia will know when Clark will be there. Between all the various "Dings!" that anounce his coming, Felicia knows.

Walking into the place, Clark let's out a low whistle. "Miss Hardy. I feel underdressed and I'm wearing a suit," he admits and looks over everything with a sense of awe. Although, he's listening to see if there's any devices that might give off a thrum or some indication they're about. "I offered to cover the story because of Cat's Eye expansion into Metropolis. The people are very concerned and want to know more about the company. More about the CEO," Clark will then offer his hand in a handshake, unsure if Felicia is a huggy person or not. "Clark Kent, obviously," he blushes a little. Those dull blue eyes look at her, regaruding the woman with reverence. She -is- a CEO afterall.

Black Cat has posed:
     When the Daily Planet sluth enters, Felicia turns her attention, both hands still firmly on her mug of coffee, towards the doors. "Hello there. Clark Kent isn't it? You might be surprised to know I read the Dailey Planet from time to time." Her tone has a playful and relaxed vibe to it that normally puts people at ease. She may be a CEO, but she's a girl who likes to have fun, and has the quippy wit of most of her Spider-Verse companions, teasing, "Do you always start all your interviews with such blatant flattery?" She gestures over towards the sitting area - a couch and a few armchairs with coffee and end-tables strewn on a very expensive looking Flokati rug. She shakes hands gently, and offers "Have a seat, can I get you something, coffee? Something stronger?" Something stronger? It's 9:30am - but that's rich playboy/playgirl life for you. She starts moving over towards the couch to gracefully lower herself onto it, crossing her legs and watching you with aan amused smirk, "Why would they be concerned, we make things safer!"

Superman has posed:
Taken aback, pleasantly, by the banter, Clark lets out a small smile with a light chuckle. "No ma'am. I know flattery gets you everywhere according to some, but I like to be honest. And I'm a rpeorter. I get out a lot, but it's non-traditional. It's mainly for stories. I don't go out to fancy places or restaurants," he says looking over everything. All of the exact details are lost to him. However, he knows when something is high quality.

"Well, I wouldn't turn down a mocha, but on-only if you have it. Coffee is fine," he says if completely missing any illusion to alcohol, if that's the implication.

Sitting across Felicia, "I think it's the privatized factor. Maybe it's the New York factor," Metropolis and New York may have a small rivalry in various bits like Sports. Sometimes there's overlap.

Although he will try to get in her good graces, "Maybe they're just intimidated by someone successful, beautiful and with your pedigree? Much like Bruce Wayne to gotham, but with better fashion sense."

Black Cat has posed:
     "Come to think of it, it is weird that Metropolis doesn't seem to have any eccentric handsome or beautiful millionaire capitalist industrialists isn't it?" She is joking, clearly, her tone still dancing back and forth across that edge - though edging back to serious when she notes, "Or does it and I'm just not up on the Metropolis.... oh well I guess there's Lex Luthor, but I guess he's not really exactly in the Bruce Wayne/Tony Stark mold is he?"
     No, more brooding and crazy than playboy.
     Felicia leans forward, bending at the waist to set her coffee cup on the table and then reaches to hit a button on her phone, presumably some sort of messaging system as she speaks into it while it sits on the coffee table, "Can someone please bring in a mocha for Mr. Kent?"
     That taken care of, she turns her attention back to the interview, one arm over the back of the couch as she relaxes more comfortably, "Competition and Rivalry makes cities, and people, stronger. I feel like Metropolis and New York push each other to be the best versions of themselves." A well-manicured answer, delivered with a smile.

Superman has posed:
"Well, Lex Luthor may consider himself handsome, even if you don't," Clark says and he s writing things down. Then he looks at Felicia, "Well, some would argue he is. Some would aruge he isn't. Not my place to say Miss Hard," he says with a small chuckle.

"You didn't need to that, Miss Hardy," he says again. "Coffee would have been fine," and then he is seeing the relxation "It can if the competition is seen as friendly or healhty. There is a line," and then he looks to the owman, wirting things down.

"What is your aim for Cat's Eye, Miss Hardy? What do you hope this expansion will do for both Metropolis and your company?" he asks and the pen is quickly going to the reporter's pad. Ready to jot down the answers.

Black Cat has posed:
     "I'm sure his Mother does too." Sick burn. Felicia laughs though taking the sting out of it, giving a little shrug and then raising an eyebrow, "Don't quote me on that. Last thing I want to do is start a fight with LexCorp. At any rate....." She drags that out, letting the mocha be delivered, and then leaning forward again to rest her elbows on her knees and her head in her hand, watching as you jot down the answers, "Well I'm hoping that we'll make Metropolis safer, and our stock valuation will go up and make our shareholders filthy rich of course, isn't that what any security company wants?" A short pause, and then more seriously she offers, "Superman can't be everywhere at once, and the smaller the world gets through technological and inter-dimensional advances, the more a city like Metropolis has to worry about super-being scale threats - Cat's Eye has expertise in investigating those - just like Sable Securities."

Superman has posed:
"Is this you saying you want a partnership with Superman? Or are you saying he's inadequate to help the city? Is this your stance on other vigilantes that obviously help, like Spider-Man?" Clark has no idea about Felicia's night-time activites. However, Spider-Man -is- someone he respects from the New York area. That's why Clark mentions the hero directly, even if -other- papers deem him to be a threat.

"What are your plans on how to handle threats like Intergang?" that's a crime ring out of Metropolis. It makes the news beyond Metropolis sometimes. They have a notoriety as the Maronis, rumored Hand, and more. "How has your company handled threats from groups like Tombstone," and Clark keeps writing. Yes, he has heard of some New York gangs.

Black Cat has posed:
     "I'm not saying anything other than the obvious, that superheroes need the assistance of everyday folks like us. Even when you have a Superman, or Spiderman, or Avengers in your city, it's up to all of us, as a community, to pitch in and help the community be safer."
     She considers the next question carefully and then says, "We utilize state of the art technology and expert personnell to provide support and more importantly /intel/ on threats like that, enabling the heavy hitters in our government and superhero teams to do their jobs."

Superman has posed:
And that answer warms Clark. She may not see it, but a subtle and unexpected pause from him. Ever so slightly. The pen really doesn't stop moving.

"Will you be taking assistance from Lexcorp if he offers to help with technology?" he asks and looks to her. "What developments does your own company have from a technological standpoint?" he asks and is clearly interested in these answers. Just the way he leans forward ever so subtly.

Black Cat has posed:
     "I tend to take assistance from anywhere I can get it, beggers can't be choosers and LexCorp is a well-known and respected name in the industry with huge manufacturing capacity. As far as our own technological developments." She winks, "Trade secrets, of course." However, like most socialites, she seems to already be getting bored with the interview, making a not so subtle and obvious glance over to the clock on the wall.

Superman has posed:
"And what about overcoming the stigma of your reputation?" Clark asks the moment he realizes that Felicia is becoming bored. Just to get a reaction. A question he held in the back pcoket just in case she got bored. "Do you worry that could jeopardize the public's trust in Cat's Eye as a result?" he asks knowing these are standard questions. But the facts are the facts. "What sets you apart from men like Bruce Wayne, Tony Stark and Lex Luthor? What, in your mind, makes you -better- than them? Or at least a better alternative, I should say" he is all ears on this one. Letting Felicia speak now.

Black Cat has posed:
     "What makes me better than them?" Felicia grins and decides to end the interview on a quip, standing up in a decisive way with a flair of her uncrossing leg, pushing to her feet and reaching for her coffee cup - the whole move rather gymnastic in its sudden kineticism, "I'm a woman, of course." A brief pause to let the bon mot land, and she offers, "It was so nice to meet you Mr. Kent, really." She offers her hand again, "I'm afraid I'm out of time." Which may or may not be true, "My publicist can give you the relevant details you might need to fill in your article."